Judges, who included Mark Feary, Artistic Director Gertrude Street Gallery, Dr David Hansen, Associate Professor, Centre for Art History and Art Theory, ANU School of Art and Design, Hannah Matthews, Senior Curator, Monash University Museum of Art and representatives from Bendigo Art Gallery and the Guy family, were in unanimous agreement in their decision to select Margaret Loy Pula as the recipient of the prize, and commended the vivid impact of the painting with its reductionist palette.

Anatye (bush potato) is part of an ongoing series where the artist paints stories from her father’s dreaming, in particular bush potatoes, an important food source of the Anmatyerre people of Central Australia.

A Biennial award at the Bendigo Art Gallery, the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize aims to platform Australia’s finest contemporary artists. Now in its 14th year, it was established by Mr Allen Guy C.B.E. (1017-2007) to honour his brother Arthur Guy (1914-1945) whose life was tragically cut short whilst in service in New Guinea. Arthur Guy was born in Melbourne on 24 November 1914, the first son for Arthur and Catherine Guy. He was the only and elder sibling of Allen Rupert Guy. Arthur was educated at Camp Hill State School in Bendigo and then at Ballarat Grammar School. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in a signals unit and served in New Guinea. On 14 February 1945, aged 30, he was on a biscuit bomber mission when his plane was shot down near Lae. He is buried in the Lae War Memorial Cemetery.